Method of knitting fabric with elastic inlay and embroidery pattern



J. L. GETAZ Aug. 29, 1939.

METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIC WITH ELASTIC INLAY AND EMBROIDERY PATTERN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12, 1938 I Lg -Z ES L. GETAZ HIS ATTORNEYS R O T N E V m J.L.GETAZ Aug. 29, 1939.

METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIC WITH ELASTIC INLAY AND EMBROIDERY PATTERN Filed March 12, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I, T I, I. i.

IAR zR D mu u l T .I I I I I T m Z S n T N RER 060 T N WLA S 5 WWW H Y Patented Aug. 29, 1939 METHOD OF KNITI'ING FABRIC WITH r z gas no INLAY AND EMBROIDERY PAT- James L. Getaz, Maryville, Tenn.

Application March 12,

, 10 Claims.

This invention relates to knit fabrics and more particularly to method of knitting fabrics and it is an object of this invention to provide a method of knitting fabric havingflan elastic thread laid in the fabric and embroidery yarns knit at selected wales in courses of the fabric.

In the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a fabric knit'in accordance with this invention, the fabric being expanded, and showing the relations of the various threads of which the fabric is formed, one of the threads being shown as a wrap thread;

Figure 2 is a view similar toFigure l but showing a thread knit as. a mock wrap thread in place of the wrap thread as in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view in elevation showing the relations of the needles and cams in the knitting of the fabric of Fig. 2; and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the relations of the needles and cams in the knitting of the fabric of Figure 1.v

In Figure 1 of the drawings, there is shown, in expanded condition, a number of courses, as courses a to q, and a number of wales, as wales I to II, of a fabric knit in accordance with this invention. Throughout the portion of the fabric shown the main or body yarn B is knitted by every needle in each course and the rubber or elastic thread R is fed in each course in front of and below the -latches of alternate or recurrent needles, as the needles which knit the wales -I, 3, 5, I, 9, ll etc., the rubber thread being cast off with the loops ofthe body yarn at the usual knitting wave, an operation which causes the rubber thread to be engaged between the sinker and needle loops of the wales 2, 4, 6, 8, l etc.

On selected ones of the needles in front of which the. rubber thread It is placed the embroidery yarn E is wrapped. As shown in Figure 1, in which a genuine wrap is illustrated, the embroidery yarn is wrapped upon the same needie, the needle of wale 9, for two successive courses, as courses b and c, and then in the 1'01- 4 lowing course d wrapped upon an adjacent needle in front of which the rubber thread is placed at either side of the needle previously taking the wrap yarn, as the needle of wale I. This gives an embroidery stripe having two stitches of the embroidery yarn in a wale and then two stitches of the embroidery yarn in a wale spaced from the previous embroidered wale by an intervening wale. A fabric'having rubber laid in the manner described is, when contracted, substantially a flat fabric in jwhich the wales knit by 1938, Serial No. 195,634

the needles in front of which the rubber thread is laid are forced to the face of the fabric while the wales knit by the intervening needles in back of which the rubber thread is floated are forced to the back of the fabric. This results in providing a flat fabric in which the embroidered wales lie adjacent to each other when the fabric is in the contracted condition and gives the appearance of a continuous embroidery pattern on a rib fabric although the embroidery stitches are separated by an intervening wale and are spaced apart when the fabric is in an expanded condition. As the fabric is expanded to some extent as knit,-;the floats of the embroidery yarn are of suflicient length to permit expansion of the fabric. While Figure 1 shows but a single wrap yarn and that yarn wrapped upon but a single needle in a course, it is to be understood that a plurality of wrap,yarns may be used with some of the yarns being taken by a plurality of selected needles in the usualway.

Where the embroidery thread is fed at the throat plate to form a mock wrap embroidery pattern the rubber thread may be fed to spaced courses only, if desired, and still kept a continuous thread without entangling with the floats of the embroidery thread provided the embroidery thread is taken by needles ata number of places about the needle circle to knit what is knownas an allover pattern as the short floats of the embroidery yarn then lie close to the fabric and do not cause loops of objectionable size to be formed of the rubber thread float. Where a mock wrap pattern is formed at spaced points, as at opposite sides of the stocking, it is necessary to feed the rubber thread in each course in which the embroidery thread is fed to the needles; but, if the rubber thread is fed at each course it is not necessary to feed the embroidery thread in each course. Where the embroidery thread is fed to form a mock wrap the rubber thread will be placed in front of alternate needles and the embroidery threads will be taken by selected ones of such alternate needles as when the embroidery thread is' fed to form a genuine wrap pattern. In Figure 2 there is shown, in extended condition, a fragmentof a fabric in which the mock wrap yarn M is used in place of the wrap yarn of Figure 1. In this fabric the body yarn B is knit at all wales in each course of the courses a to e shown and the elastic thread R is engaged at alternate wales in each course while the mock wrap yarn is shown engaged at' se- ,the mock wrap yarn is shown as severed in the course 0'. The mock wrap yarn may be taken by a group of successive needles as shown in the course a.

In Figs. 3 and 4 there is shown an arrangement of needles and cams of a circular knitting machine for knitting the fabrics described and shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In this arrangement jacks 38l are mounted in the grooves of the needle cylinder below the needles. There is also provided an auxiliary pattern drum, (not shown) which operates the reader cams 165 for effecting a selection of the jacks for operation by the cam 366' to raise selected needles to take the wrap yarns, if the wrap yarns E be fedby wrap yarn guides 16! in advance of the throat plate as in Fig. 4, or to take the mock wrap yarns M if these yarns be fed at the throat plate as in Fig. 3.

In the operation of the machine to knit fabric in accordance with this invention, the alternate needles 2| are raised by the engagement of their jacks 38! with the cam 366 in advance of the yarn guide 39 which lays the elastic thread R. against the shanks of the .raised needles 2| and below the latches thereof. The needles 22 are then raised by a cam 33 to a level slightly below the level of the needles 2| and as the needles 22 are raised the shape of the top of their hooks causes the elastic thread to pass to theback of the needles 22 so that the elastic thread is interlaced with the needles. All needles are then brought downto the same level by the cam 34 but not low enough to cast off the loops on the needles. While the needles are being raised by the cam 33, a cam 35 engages the upper portions of the jacks38l causing the lower ends of the jacks to be moved outwardly to a position in which their butts pass without engaging the cam 366 and only those jacks having butts engaged by the reader cams 165 will be engaged by the cam 366 and raised to position their needles togtake the embroidery yarns. Such needles as are not raised by their jacks 38l engaging the cam 366' are raised by the cam 40 to a position insuring the clearing of their latches. v

In Fig, 3 the cams and yarn guides are shown arranged to feed the embroidery yarn M at the throat plate to form a mock wrap. In this case the yarn guide F feeding the embroidery yarn is at the right side of the throat plate, as seen in Fig. 3, and positioned to feed the yarn at a higher 'point than the yarn guide F for the body yarn B which is at the left side of the throat plate and lower. This arrangement of the yarn guides places the embroidery yarn where it will be taken by the needles which are raised by the engagement of their jacks on the cam 3667 but will not be taken by the needles whose jacks are not raised by the cam 366'. For this operation the right hand stitch cam (not shown) is withdrawn and a narrower center stitch cam 35! is used. All the needles engage the cam 351 and are drawn down by the cams 351 and 360, taking the body yarn B and drawing loops of both yarns B and M and casting off the loops previously taken and the lengths of the elastic thread engaging alternate needles.

As shown in Fig, 4 when making the genuine wrap fabric and the raised needles are wrapped by the embroidery yarn E, the wrap yarn guides 76'! are operated to place the embroidery yarns about the selected needles after these needles have been raised by the engagingof their jacks with the cam 366' and before the throat plate is reached by the needles which take the wrap yarns. In this case the usual stitch cams can be used.

of the .elastic thread effects a contraction of the fabric at the embroidery pattern.

' This application is a continuation in part of my co-pending application Serial No. 61,612, filed January 30, 1936.

I claim 1. Steps in a method of knitting a course of a fabric comprising raising alternate cylinder needles of a circular knitting machine in advance of the usual knitting wave, feeding a rubber thread in front of and below the latches of the raised needles and in back of the intermediate needles, feeding embroidery yarns to selected needles and operating all needles to take the main or body yarn or yarns and to cast off.

2. Steps in a method of knitting a course of a fabric comprising raising alternate cylinder needles of a circular knitting machine in advance of the usual knitting wave, feeding an elastic thread in front of and below the latches of said raised needles, raising the remaining needles to interlace the elastic thread with the needles, lowering all needles, raising selected needles to take an embroidery yarn and operating all needles to.

der needles to interlace the elastic thread therewith, operating selected ones of the previously selected needles to take embroidery yarn and op erating all cylinder needles to take the body yarn and to knit the body and embroidery yarns and cast off the elastic thread.

5. Steps in a method of knitting a fabric comprising raising selected cylinder needles of a circular knitting machine, feeding an elastic thread to said selected needles, raising the remaining cylinder needles to interlace the elastic thread therewith, operating selected needles to take embroidery yarn and operating all needles to take the body yarn and to knit the body and embroidery yarns and cast oil. the elastic thread.

6. Steps in a method of knitting an embroidered plain fabric portion comprising knitting courses of main or body yarn or yarns, selecting needles to engage embroidery yarn during the knitting of courses of said fabric and engaging elastic thread at recurring needles in the knitting of courses adjacent embroidered courses.

7. Steps in a method of knitting an embroidered. plain fabric portion comprising knitting courses of main or body yarn or yarns, selecting needles to engage embroidery yarn during the knitting of courses of said fabric and engaging an elastic thread at spaced recurring needles in the knitting 8. Steps in 'a method of knitting an embroidered and selecting needles to engage embroidery yarn plain fabric portion comprising knitting courses during the knitting of courses of said fabric of main or body yarn or yarns, selectingneedles adjacent to said elastic thread.

' to engage embroidery yarn during the knitting of 10. Steps in a method of knitting an embroi- 5 courses of said fabric and engaging an elastic dered plain fabric portion comprising engaging 5 thread at spaced recurring needles in the knitting inelastic yarn with all the needles in knitting of courses between embroidered courses. courses of said fabric, engaging an elastic thread 9. Steps in a method of knitting an embroidered at spaced selected needles in knitting courses of plain fabric portion comprising engaging insaid fabric and selecting needles to engage em- 10 elastic yarn with. the needles in knitting courses broidery yarn during the knitting of courses 10 of said fabric, engaging an elastic thread at of said fabric adjacent to said elastic thread. selected needles in certain courses of said fabric JAMES L. GETAZ. 

